Momentum grows as more names join licensing campaign for classic darts brand

Bulldog Licensing, agent for Bullseye, has announced a major sponsorship and a triumphant return to TV for the iconic darts game show and brand, along with continuing growth for the Bullseye licensing programme.

Bullseye is now a sponsor of the Blackburn Youth Darts Academy. In fact Bullseye will be sponsoring all ten events in the Blackburn Youth Darts Academy Champion Players 1 series this year. It’s also the main sponsor for the Academy’s Blackburn Youth Festival of darts in October with events for age categories ranging from 8 to 18.

The Blackburn Youth Darts Academy aims to promote the sport of darts to the children and young people who are the future of the sport. It enrols both boys and girls aged 6 to 18 years to participate in darts activities, holding weekly coaching sessions and attending competitions locally and nationally. It also boasts one of the best darts facilities in the UK. Many of its students qualify for the Junior World Championships each year.

The announcement underlines the growing popularity of darts with younger people, and has coincided with breaking news that, following the massive success of the 2024 Bullseye Christmas special, the team of Freddie Flintoff and official scorer Richard Ashdown will be back in a brand new series on ITV later this year.

Dates and broadcast timings have yet to be confirmed but this news confirms the growing momentum for both the show and the brand. The licensing programme has grown extensively in recent months to include plush from Posh Paws International, board games and mini dart games from University Games and most recently, dress up from Blues Group Limited. Bullseye has also grown in the entertainment sector, with guests at Away Resorts able to play along on stage and players at Buzz Bingo able to play Bullseye Bingo every evening at 6 pm.

In the unlikely event that anyone is unaware of this classic TV game, Bullseye tests both quiz and darts skills as teams of contestants, each consisting of one amateur darts player and one trivia or quizzing expert, compete against one another.

Bullseye first aired on ITV in the 1980s, where it peaked at 19.8 million viewers in its Boxing Day broadcast on ITV in 1989. It has a strong following throughout the UK to this day thanks to showings on Sky Challenge since 2006, where it is regularly among the top shows on the channel. In 2008 Bullseye launched on social media.

A 2024 Bullseye Christmas Special hosted by Freddie Flintoff and including teen phenomenon Luke Littler, who appeared as the professional thrower on the Christmas special, was a big ratings and media success.

The show is synonymous with fun, celebrity players and of course catchphrases such as ‘Bully’s special prize’, and ‘nothing in this game for two in a bed’. The licensing programme has built on the enduring popularity of the show, with Bullseye-branded apparel, gifts, games, publishing, and food and drink, as well as a specially created Bullseye online store. A competition adapted for Away Resorts holidaymakers and a Home Leisure interactive darts game have taken the format to holiday resorts and homes.

The Blackburn Youth Darts Academy is run on a voluntary basis by Academy Director, Keith Brunt, who he is delighted with the Bullseye sponsorship. He says: “The response to the Blackburn Youth Darts Academy Champion Players 1 series and Blackburn Youth Festival of darts has been fantastic and with the growing appeal of darts to the young, we think it’s going to be one of our best years ever. It’s now been boosted in a big way with sponsorship from one of the darts world’s best-loved names. We’re thrilled to have the support of this iconic brand.”

Bulldog MD Rob Corney says: “Bullseye has always been popular, but the Luke Littler-inspired explosion of interest in darts and the success of the Bullseye Christmas Special have given the brand a higher profile than ever. Now the new TV series, an important sponsorship and licensing growth are bringing Bullseye to an even wider audience of viewers, young players and consumers and contributing to what we think will be Bullseye’s best year to date! Good luck to all the players competing in the Blackburn Youth Darts Academy events and remember: you can’t beat a bit of Bully!”

Award-winning licensing agent plans for growth and evolving service demands

Bulldog Licensing has announced the appointment of Freddie Lindsell as its new Licensing Coordinator.

Freddie’s responsibilities will include supporting the team as a whole across the contract process and product approvals. This post has been created to help manage portfolio growth along with the ongoing evolution of service demands for the award-winning agency.

Freddie is not only a new arrival in the licensing business but, unusually for a first-time licensing professional, his background is in the sciences. He recently completed a degree in biochemistry at Dundee University, including a period working as a plant science researcher and lab technician.

But making a fresh start was an attractive idea precisely because it offered a complete change of direction. As he puts it: “After graduating, I chose to pursue a career in a more creative, people-oriented field. That led me into the world of licensing.”

And this is certainly a change of direction Freddie is looking forward to. As he says: “I’m excited to work with the team at Bulldog representing the diverse portfolio of brands it so expertly manages.” He does, however, admit to a personal favourite. “That’s Beano – an iconic Dundee brand and a comic I grew up reading.”

Sophie Yates, Brand Manager with Bulldog, says: “With the ever-evolving needs of licensing and a  portfolio of incredible brands, we were looking for an intelligent, adaptable, fast learner to support our team. Freddie’s enthusiasm and ability made him the ideal candidate. We’re delighted to welcome him to Bulldog and what we trust will be a long and successful career in licensing.”

Bulldog announces major apparel and accessories deal for BEYBLADE X

Hot on the heels of its appointment by ADK Emotions NY Inc. and T-Licensing Inc. as UK and Ireland licensing agent for BEYBLADE X, independent licensing agency Bulldog Licensing has announced its first licensing partnership for the chart-topping toy brand exciting kids and adults everywhere.

Cooneen & Misirli, leading manufacturers and suppliers of own-brand and licensed character apparel and accessories, are teaming up to produce BEYBLADE X daywear, nightwear, underwear and socks for all ages.

The look of the range will be inspired by exciting and colourful design assets based on both the already massively successful new toy – which has been included in both toy retailer The Entertainer and Argos’ Top Toys for Christmas lists – and the recently launched BEYBLADE X animated series. The range will arrive at UK retail and be available online in Spring 2025.

Starting as BEYBLADE in 1999, then launching as BEYBLADE: METAL FUSION in 2008 and BEYBLADE BURST in 2015, the iconic battling spinning tops and launchers have sold over 500 million toy units globally and inspired hit animated series.

With the arrival of BEYBLADE X, BEYBLADE’s already stellar success is reaching another level. The exciting new BEYBLADE X is the fastest BEYBLADE ever, boasting a customisable three-piece system, die cast metal battle layer, burst function and brand-new gear system.

BEYBLADE X was one of the best-selling toy brands of 2023 in Japan and has been rolling out across multiple territories throughout 2024, backed by a massive cross-media marketing presence, including a global strategy involving regional YouTube channels featuring animation, toy, influencer and trending content. There are also iconic all-ages BEYBLADE tournaments taking place all around the world and a multi-language Roblox online gaming collaboration, which has received over 13million visits to date.

Supporting this activity is the new TV series available on BBC iPlayer in the UK and delivered by an all-star team of manga and anime greats.  There are plans for a major licensing campaign, managed in the UK and Ireland by Bulldog, across all categories.

The extensive and wide-ranging global BEYBLADE X licensing campaign, aimed at a core market of children to teens but with a strong nostalgia appeal to the adult market, encompasses multiple categories that range from kids’ and adults’ apparel to backpacks, lunchboxes, stationery, party goods, food, confectionery, publishing, collectibles, digital gaming, apps and much more, supported by promotions involving restaurants, stores and many other partners.

Ellie Griffiths, head of licensing for Cooneen and Christine Roberts, head of licensing for Misirli, say: “BEYBLADE is a gaming, TV and design phenomenon and BEYBLADE X takes the brand to an even higher level than its illustrious predecessors. With anticipation high for both the new toy and licensed product we’re thrilled to be one of the first UK and Ireland partners for the brand and to be working with Bulldog, one of the leading licensing agencies in Europe.”

Bulldog MD Rob Corney says: “We had an extraordinarily strong reaction to the fourth generation of BEYBLADE at BLE and are thrilled to have signed our first BEYBLADE X licensing partner so soon after our appointment as licensing agent for the brand. The growing excitement around BEYBLADE X, along with some fantastic design assets, bodes well for a comprehensive and multi-category licensing strategy that has already attracted names of the calibre of Cooneen & Misirli and will attract many more in the coming months.”

University Games, Blueprint Operations and Buzz Bingo join fast-growing licensing campaign for classic darts brand

Bulldog Licensing, agent for the iconic darts game show and brand Bullseye, has announced a number of major deals involving the property which has been successful for over 40 years – and is now enjoying its highest profile this century.

University Games, a UK-based manufacturer of a wide range of games and puzzles, will be launching its first-ever Bullseye range this year. The range will include a Board Game and Mini Darts Dice Game, which is set to be great fun for all the family.

Both games make use of the well-known format, imagery and catchphrases from the Bullseye TV quiz show. The first board game was showcased to a very positive response at London Toy Fair in January and was included in Toy Fair’s Hero Toys list. The range will arrive at retail in May 2025.

Blueprint Operations, a leading UK-based gaming provider and part of Germany’s Merkur Group, will be producing slot games for the adult market in land-based adult gaming centres, bingo halls and licenced premises throughout the UK. The games will again include a design style based around the instantly identifiable mascot Bully and the famous prizes from the show. The games will arrive at a large number of outlets on the 27th of May.

Buzz Bingo, the UK’s largest retail bingo operator, has launched a number of new Bullseye-themed bingo products. Bullseye Bingo is played in bingo clubs every evening at 6 pm and streamed on live video feeds to Buzz Bingo’s venues around the UK. The feature is hosted by Buzz Bingo’s charismatic Live Bingo Presenters and involves Bullseye-themed extra prizes for calling on ‘50’ (a bingo reference to the darts bullseye score).

Over at Buzzbingo.com, a brand-new Bullseye Bingo Room has opened with 90 ball bingo games from 5pm to 11pm every day. Nostalgic features include Bully’s 180 Jackpot and Bully’s Prize Board (Bully is the Bullseye mascot).

Jim Bowen’s famous catchphrase “Super, smashing, great” also makes a comeback when players call a full house on the numbers 20, 40 or 60 to receive a prize boost. Buzz continues to look for ways to strengthen the partnership and the latest product launch is a new bonus feature for Buzz Bingo’s popular ‘play-as-you-go’ bingo sessions. Launched on Sunday the 2nd of March, Bully’s Double Check Out involves the £500 full house prize being doubled to £1,000 if the ‘GoGo’ Bonus Button is activated by players.

In the unlikely event that anyone is unaware of this classic game, Bullseye tests both quiz and darts skills as teams of contestants, each consisting of one amateur darts player and one trivia or quizzing expert, compete against one another.

Bullseye first aired on ITV in the 1980s, where it peaked at 19.8 million viewers in its Boxing Day broadcast on ITV in 1989. It has a strong following throughout the UK to this day thanks to showings on Sky Challenge since 2006, where it is regularly among the top shows on the channel. In 2008 Bullseye launched on social media.

A 2024 Bullseye Christmas Special hosted by Freddie Flintoff and including teen phenomenon Luke Littler, who appeared as the professional thrower on the Christmas special, was a big ratings and media success. The show has further benefited from the high profile of darts since Littler started making headlines, culminating in his crowning as youngest-ever World Champion in January.

The show is synonymous with fun, celebrity players and of course catchphrases such as ‘Bully’s special prize’, and ‘nothing in this game for two in a bed’. The licensing programme has built on the popularity of the show, with Bullseye-branded apparel, gifts, games, publishing, and food and drink, as well as a specially created Bullseye online store. A competition adapted for Away Resorts holidaymakers and a Home Leisure interactive darts game have taken the format to holiday resorts and homes.

Bulldog MD Rob Corney says: “Bullseye has always been popular, but the recent explosion of interest in darts and the success of the Bullseye Christmas Special have given the brand a higher profile than ever. These partnerships with leaders in their fields will bring Bullseye to an even wider audience and, with more announcements on the way, are kicking off what we think will be Bullseye’s best year to date!”